Apple: Siri is not coming to older devices

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Although hackers have modded Siri for other devices, Apple says the feature will remain exclusive to the iPhone 4S.

Story highlights

Report: Apple has no plans to bring Siri to other devices

Siri, the voice-activated "personal assistant" is exclusive to the iPhone 4S

App developer said he got a message from Apple denying any plans to expand

Hackers have run Siri on the iPhone 4 and 3GS and iPod Touch

Smartphone owners hoping to talk to their iPhone 4 or 3GS about the weather, their schedule or the meaning of life appear to be out of luck.

In a message received by a developer who creates apps for Apple's products, the company has confirmed that it has no plans to adapt Siri, the personal voice assistant, for older phones.

"Siri only works on iPhone 4S and we currently have no plans to support older devices," Apple said in a statement that developer Michael Steeber posted on his blog.

Steeber said the comment came in response to someone who suggested that Siri could be added as a paid upgrade to Apple's operating system for all of its mobile devices.

"The possibility of Apple brin[g]ing Siri to other iOS devices was already slim, but this pretty much confirms that it won't be happening," Steeber wrote. "Although, Apple has been known to go back on their word before."

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Hackers [the good kind] have already modified the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch to run Siri. [Watch one such mod here]. But those tweaks didn't come with Apple's blessing, and could theoretically be nuked by the company in future software updates.

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The voice-activated "personal assistant," the most high-profile upgrade on the iPhone 4S, is a talkative tool that helps schedule appointments, send and receive messages and perform any number of other routine tasks.

In recent weeks, there have been reports, albeit unsubstantiated ones, that Apple is experimenting with Siri on other devices. If that sort of testing is going on behind closed doors in Cupertino, Apple isn't saying.

Many Apple fans were initially disappointed that the company rolled out a similar-looking upgrade to the iPhone 4 instead of a radically redesigned iPhone 5. It would make sense that Apple would keep Siri exclusive to the iPhone 4S, at least for the time being, to spur sales of that device through the holiday season.